Magazine cover analysis

1. Masthead & Strapline
The masthead 'Empire' is bold, sharp, authoritative and in capital letters. The name has connotations of wealth and power. The font used makes it an iconic name and brand. It is covered by the main image which give the image more importance over the masthead. The white colour makes it stand out against the background. The strapline is "the worlds biggest movie magazine" which shows it see's its self as important and better than the other magazines. The strapline is also a lot smaller than the Masthead which shows that it isn't as important as the Masthead because 'Empire' is the brand name.

2. Main Image
The main image is of Robert Downey Jr from the film Iron Man 3. The shot used is a medium shot to show that he wearing the suit from the film but you don't need to see the whole thing because people will already know what it is from what we can see. It also uses direct mode of address because RDJ is looking directly at the viewer which shows that the magazine is intended for 'you'. Robert Downey Jr has been used because the main story is about the most recent film in the Iron Man franchise, Iron Man 3, and RDJ is the main star of the film and is well known for playing Tony Stark/Iron Man.

3. Layout and Mise-en-scene
The layout that has been used is to show the main image is the most important thing on there as it is in the centre of the page, it is the biggest thing there and it is covering the name of the magazine. The star is wearing a costume from Iron Man 3 which will be used to draw in audiences who enjoy superhero films and the Iron Man franchise. The next biggest thing on the cover (other than the masthead) is the copy that is talking about the main image. It is covering the main image of Robert Downey Jr to show that it is talking about. All the other copy is at the side of the image, behind the image or at the bottom of the image in a smaller font size. All of the copy used on the cover stands out from the main image because they red and white, two bold and eye catching colours. This appears to be a theme with this cover because all the copy is either red or white, except the copy at the top which is in gold which makes it appear more important and eye catching than the others.

4. Interpellation
Something the magazine is using to draw people in is direct mode of address. Robert Downey Jr is looking directly at the camera so that it looks like he is looking at the reader which creates a link between the reader and the magazine. Also, the Iron Man helmet is looking directly at the audience which makes a connection between the suit and the reader.

5. Target Audience
The target audience for this magazine is the mainstreamer. They would read this magazine to stay up to date on all the films that are coming out so they can go and see them with their friends and families.